But what is happening to Pep Guardiola? He the anti-Mourinho, he the fan of the beautiful game, here he falls into pettiness, cookie-cutter answers and unwelcome criticisms. Beaten dryly, and without possible dispute, by Liverpool on Sunday, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City was gently mocked by Anfield supporters. The latter sang the famous “you will be sacked in the morning” (you will be fired tomorrow morning) at the end of the match, in front of Guardiola who came to applaud the Mancunian fans who had made the trip. He responded by making a 6 with his fingers, to recall his 6 titles won in the Premier League with City.
Pure Mourinho, symbol of a coach adrift? We have rarely seen a Guardiola so uncombative, without solutions, and almost helpless in the face of the press. The English media are rightly surprised by the way Guardiola is handling the situation. “Guardiola’s 6 fingers prove he has transformed into José Mourinho”tackle him Daily Telegraph. “Pep Guardiola struggles to adapt as his once impregnable dynasty crumbles”note the Guardian.
Guardiola is affected
This simple mocking chant from the Liverpool supporters visibly disturbed him since he even wanted to respond to them as soon as the final whistle blew. “Look, I’m so proud of my six Premier League titles, I’m really sorry. I didn’t expect Anfield, at 0-2, to be chanting that I’m going to be sacked. Maybe I deserve to be fired, honestly. With the results, maybe I’m still in the job because we’ve won six Premier Leagues, a lot of titles, otherwise the hierarchy might think ‘this isn’t working’. But I didn’t expect them to sing. It’s good, it’s part of the game”he said on Skysports.
Image generation in progress
Guardiola believes that between a truncated summer preparation and numerous injuries, he does not have all the weapons to be competitive. “I’m sitting here as a coach and standing up for what we’ve done in the past because of them and more than ever I want to be with them and hug them. We have to change the results and at the right time we will make the decision”he indicated, while he recently extended his contract with the Citizens until 2027. Will Guardiola succeed in emerging from the greatest crisis of results that he is going through in his career ? Response from Wednesday evening with the reception of Nottingham Forest.
